Skull and Bones
- ''This article is about a secret society. For the pirate flag see Jolly Roger; for the international poison symbol see skull and crossbones.
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2 Quotes 3 See also 4 External links 5 Further Reading |
Overview
Members of Skull and Bones include George Herbert Walker Bush and his son George W. Bush, President of the United States, and Senator John Kerry. The wealth and success of its members past and present has enabled the establishment of the Russell Trust Association, which holds the society's real estate. It has been alleged that graduating members are given large amounts of money by the society, with conditions attached.
It is said that members are forbidden from revealing affiliation, although they are permitted to wear Skull and Bone pins in public. Lists of purported members are readily available and may be located with a simple internet search, though some have questioned the accuracy of such lists. Rituals of Skull and Bones are said to take place in the organization's campus building which is called the Tomb, adjoining Jonathan Edwards College. Ron Rosenbaum, author and columnist for the New York Observer states that Prescott Bush, George W Bush's grandfather, and a band of Bonesmen, robbed the grave of Geronimo, taking the skull of the Apache Chief and bringing it back to be kept in the tomb[1]. No particular religious affiliation is said to be required for membership.
Given the power and prominence of the supposed members, and the superficial obscurity of the societies, the societies are frequently included in conspiracy theories. It may be noted that virtually every secretive group, including the Freemasons and most religious orders, are mentioned in conspiracy theories.
Members then purportedly go on to highly successful careers in education, banking, law, industry, and government. A large proportion of those listed have gone on to important positions in the intelligence community, particularly in organizations like the CIA.
However, many alumni of Yale and the other Ivy League universities have also gone on to similarly prominent careers, without involvement in secret societies. It is also important to note that seniors very likely choose their successors specifically for expected future success; Bush and Kerry, in particular, are members of long-lasting political families.
No one except members can substantiate what happens at Skull and Bones rituals. Some of the reported activities are reminiscent of Satanic practices. A common description of this is that the initiate spend a night naked in a coffin while telling other members of their sexual encounters.
The video of a purported Skull and Bones ritual, taken by journalist Ron Rosenbaum, shows hooded, masked figures participating in what looks like an initiation rite. Some have suggested similarities to The Blair Witch Project, the Roswell UFO Incident and similar films or recording that claim to be genuine or are suspected of being genuine, though they may in fact be fictitious.
On December 11, 1909, the New York Times reported that Harold Phelps Stokes, a former member of Skull and Bones, had donated a mummy to the society which he acquired on his visit to Egypt with another member, Allan Klots. The article noted that "Klots and Harold Stokes appear to have thought that the mummy would be a picturesque addition to the paraphernalia of Skull and Bones...."
The conspiracy theories and stories surrounding Skull and Bones was the subject of a fictional film The Skulls, which has had at least two sequels and rather mixed reviews.
Quotes
See also
External links
Further Reading